Harlequin Wine Cellars - Winemaker Bio
Robert Goodfriend spent years as a professional chef, restaurateur and world traveler before entering the career he says was meant for him—that of winemaker. The Detroit-born Goodfriend grew up in a family where cooking was an art and dinner was always an event. Although wine was a part of the meal,
Goodfriend said it wasn’t until he spent a few years in Europe, then ran two successful restaurants in Santa Fe, New Mexico and Paso Robles, CA. that he discovered his destiny.

“While running the restaurants, I learned much more about wine,” said the 45-year-old winemaker. “One day I woke up with 30 employees and I wasn’t cooking anymore, just managing people. It wasn’t fun. “It was then I realized that the only part about the job I loved was working with winemakers, and learning more about wine.”